Leapin' Lizards! Berwickshire High School are set to bring Annie to the stage

In 2015, Berwickshire High students first took to the stage in Oliver, featuring music teacher Ronald Drummond as Fagin with a gang of S1-3 pickpockets.

Since that first show, the annual Summer show has become a fixture in the calendar, alongside a senior show earlier in the year.

In the last ten years, students have staged 14 musicals – ranging from traditional classics like The Sound of Music (2016) to rock extravaganzas Jesus Christ Superstar, (2017), and We Will Rock You, (2018), to contemporary hits like Legally Blonde (2020), Sister Act (2022) and Bring It On (2023).

For many of the performers, appearing in a show transforms their school experience – giving them the opportunity to learn new skills as well as grow in confidence and make lifelong friends.

For some, it has led to a career on the stage. Many former leading ladies and men have gone on to pursue music after school and are now working in the industry across the

Uk and beyond.

This Summer, students return to the spirit of the first show with another smash hit about an orphan who strikes it lucky – the ever-popular Annie.

Starring Anna Mabon as Annie, Karl McGrath as Mr Warbucks, Lauren Bennett as Grace Farrell and Circe Miller as Miss Hannigan, the warm-hearted story is bound to put a smile on the faces of the audience.

The plot is well known. Set in the United States at the height of the Great Depression, a young orphan is plucked from her miserable life in Miss Hannigan’s municipal orphanage by the secretary of billionaire business-man, Oliver Warbucks.

With the help of Mr Warbucks, she seeks to find her parents – aided by President Roosevelt (Connor Laidlaw), but hindered by Hannigan’s accomplices, the Rooster (Joseph McEwen) and his girlfriend Lily (Holly Mabon).

Annie is full of wonderful music and will appeal to all ages. Classic songs like “Maybe” and “Tomorrow” are bound to bring a tear to the eye, whilst big production numbers like “N.Y.C.” and “I Think I’m Gonna Like It Here” will set toes tapping long after the final curtain.

The cast will be accompanied by a first rate orchestra of local musicians, many of whom have been involved in BHS shows throughout the last decade.

The shows take place from Wednesday, June 19 – Saturday 22, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets range from £6 to £8 and are available from Nairns in Duns, the school office, or at the door.